Lost Princess Series 3: Destiny Begun
by shadowglove
Summary: How is Chloe to find a way back home if Camelot keeps executing her best chances of doing so? On top of this she has to put up with Arthur, who has to be the biggest ass ever. Between being kidnapped, meeting Lancelot, and finding druids...destiny begins.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Merlin.**

**Sequel to: Mark of the Dragon**

**Written for my Paranormal25 150 Prompt Table. Prompt used #85: Lake Monster.**

**Should be around five chapters.**

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For a kingdom that banned magic, Camelot sure had a lot of it.

It wasn't in-your-face, but if you truly looked, you'd notice. It was from those that used small spells to help the harvest grow, to the ward of King Uther himself, Lady Morgana, whose frequent 'nightmares' kept sounding more and more suspicious to Chloe. Especially since she'd caught the woman wandering the halls during the dark of the night, in a trance like state, muttering about things that she seemed to be _seeing_...and then days later her crazy mutterings would _come true_. Chloe never told anyone, not even Morgana herself, about the many nights she'd helped the sleepwalking noblewoman back to her room. The blonde had a feeling Morgana might somehow know though, because while at first she'd been wary of her the dark haired beauty smiled openly and friendly at her. And the smile was that of someone who was grateful.

Chloe just smiled and nodded back, continuing on her way. She didn't want to make friends, no matter how lonely it was in the castle. She didn't want to stay here. Her heart was set on trying to find a way out of this place and back to her own home and family.

King Uther had forgiven her life, despite the use of sorcery during her 'arrival' and had declared that she was now under his 'protection' and was to remain in Camelot, in the castle. Protection, for Uther, meant control. She was under his _control_, and was desperately seeking a way _out_ from there. The blonde had gone over many different sorts of escape plans, but while doing reconnoissance she'd realized that they were all useless. There were always guards posted at all the different gates and doors and there was _no way_ she would be able to get passed them and slip into the stables to steal a horse and _then_ somehow make it out of Camelot's gates.

Especially not with Prince Arthur Pendragon around.

Chloe didn't know what to think about that man.

He was nothing like the legends she'd grown up on.

He wasn't noble and kind and righteous.

If there was anything Arthur was, it was an _asshole_.

He was obvious used to using his position as prince and it made him think he was superior to all those around him, especially his servants. She'd seen him and his stupid little friends laughing and taunting servants, and if it wasn't for the fact that whenever she reacted to him he behaved worse, she would have probably punched him by now. His gaze seemed to be constantly seeking her out, he pulled her aside more than once to listen to him brag about his victorious hunts, or to regale her with stories of how he'd easily bested all the knights during training. Chloe didn't know why he felt she needed to know all of this, or why she'd _want_ to know either.

She _liked_ animals, and the first time he'd come up to her with the _poor bunnies_ he'd killed, smirking arrogantly and raising their bodies so she could see them better...she'd had to run away and _puke_. Their dead, beady little eyes had haunted her during the nights after that, along with Arthur's admittedly exaggerated evil laughter in the background as the nightmare!bunnies pleaded for their lives. She tried to avoid Arthur like the plague after that whenever he'd come back from his hunts, and it was admittedly hard to do so because he'd enquire from the servants where she was and their loyalties were obvious to the crown.

Thankfully, she'd found some nice hiding places that the servants didn't seem to know about, and it was there that she got her few moments of respite from Prince Arthur Pendragon the Jerkface.

Sitting by the window of one of the abandoned rooms in the highest tower, Chloe gazed upon the city of Camelot. She had yet to fully believe that she was there, in this mythological realm, with people she'd only read about in fairy tales. Many times she couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't just dreaming all of this. If so, it was a long-ass dream, she could say that much! But if it was a dream, and even if it was long, it should have ended already.

Lois was never one to let Chloe sleep long.

No.

This wasn't a dream, and Lois and Lana were probably going out of their minds trying to figure out how to get her out of this newest fix.

Chloe closed her eyes, missing her cousin and friend terribly.

_How are they? Do they even know what happened to me? Did Lois destroy that book in her rage?_

Hearing commotion down below in the courtyard, Chloe frowned as she opened her eyes and gazed below. Knights were dragging a struggling old woman towards the castle, her shouts too far and distorted to be understood, but still sent shivers down Chloe's spine. The blonde stood, gazing down below intently, trying to understand what was going on.

And then she heard the growing spectators whispering.

Sorcery.

This woman must have been caught performing magic of some kind.

Chloe's heart skipped a beat and she turned, racing out of the room and down the many winding steps of the tower. By the time she finally made it down, the woman was nowhere in sight, but Chloe knew where she must have been taken. So the blonde rushed, pushing passed the servants in the hallways, and made it to the closed doors of the throne room. She hesitated outside, knowing that once closed in a hearing they shouldn't be opened. But she needed to hear! The blonde looked around her before pressing her ears to the doors, trying to hear anything from the other side, but the wood proved too thick.

The guards stationed on each side of the door didn't acknowledge her presence, letting her try to eavesdrop since they knew it was impossible to do so, but Chloe knew that if she tried to open the doors they'd stop her.

Maybe even lock her in the stocks as punishment.

The blonde glared at them and gave a little grunt in frustration, going towards the wall and leaning against it, waiting.

The meeting inside seemed to take forever, but finally the doors were flung upon, and the woman was hauled out, screaming threats as she struggled against the knights containing her.

"_You'll all regret this_!" She snarled, before her eyes found Chloe's and held. "_All you'll ever know is regret_!"

The young woman gulped, suddenly scared at the hatred in those eyes.

"_Everyone will feel my wrath!_"

Chloe jumped, nearly shrieking, when a hand came down heavily on her shoulder. She turned to look up at Arthur's unhappy face. "Don't _do_ that!" She hissed, gaze returning to where the witch was being hauled towards the dungeons.

His grip on her shoulder tightened as he leaned down towards her, breath tickling the shell of her ear as he spoke. "_Don't even think about it_."

She didn't look away from the witch even after the escort had turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

"_I mean it_!" He hissed viciously, only loud enough for her to hear. "_My father will __**not**__ forgive you twice_."

She gulped, believing him. "What did she do?"

"Does it matter?" He asked, rather apathetically.

"Yes, it _does_." She finally turned to look at him, glaring.

Arthur stared down into her face, obviously displeased. "She was found using magic. That's all that matters, Chloe. The sooner you realize this, the safer it will be for you."

She looked up into his blue eyes, trying to understand how this man could be the King of Legends she'd always read about and admired. "Was she hurting anyone?"

He flinched, looking away, giving her all the answer she needed.

Chloe closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, before opening them once more. "What was the verdict?"

"There's only _one_ verdict for sorcery." Arthur replied coldly.

Chloe's eyes widened. "But if she wasn't hurting anyone-!"

"_Silence_!" He snarled, looking around them quickly, narrowing his eyes at the guards, before grabbing her arm and pulling her away from there. "Do _not_ question the will or decisions of the king! Many have died for less!"

She wanted nothing more than to kick him in the shin, but she was almost sure that Attacking the Royal Shin was a crime here, so she only glared at him, knowing her face was turning red with suppressed anger.

His anger seemed to slowly melt away, lips quirking in a smirk, as he reached out and toyed with a strand of her hair. "You know...I did not favor this male's style you sport...but I have to admit, its growing on me."

"Well, I'm so relieved to hear that. It's my life's ambition to please you." Chloe frowned, slapping his hand away, pulling the golden lock he'd been playing with behind her ear.

He smirked brighter, obviously amused with her rebellious nature. "You cut deep into my heart with your words."

"Oh, I bet I do. I can see you bleeding all over the floor." She grumbled, folding her arms over her chest, wondering why he liked to antagonize her so much. "Should I grab a bucket and start moping so that it doesn't stain the stone?"

His laugh was loud and genuine and shocking.

Chloe blinked in surprise, gazing up at him.

Shaking his head at her, Arthur reached out and pulled on the strand she'd placed behind her ear, causing the golden lock to fall into her face once more.

Obviously pleased with this, he turned and walked away.

Chloe frowned, watching him leave while whistling, her eyes narrowing as she once more pulled the strands behind her ear rebelliously.

He was _seriously_ asking for a kick in the shin.

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"Have you actually _read_ this Grimoire?" Lois Lane finally asked, looking up from the book in question.

"In depth? No." Lana shook her head from where she was returning from getting them coffee from downstairs. "I mean, I browsed through it, but to say I actually sat down and read a whole chapter or anything? Definitely not."

"Well, you should have." Lois frowned, gaze returning to the Grimoire. "Apparently, this wasn't originally Isobel's Grimoire."

"Really?" Lana asked, fascinated as she lowered Lois' cup onto the table before her, and sat down, taking a sip of her own.

"Yeah, it originally belonged to some High Priestess of the Old Religion named Nimueh." Lois replied, concentration taut on her face. "I've only been able to get the gist of it since this is written in Old English, and some sections seems to be in some other language all together, but this broad was into some deep shit magic wise. I mean. This Old Religion was some _serious_ business, and she seemed to be the head honcho Old Religion wise."

"I wonder if Isobel and I are descendants of her." Lana blinked, intrigued.

"You see...this...the prologue, as I like to call it..." The curvy brunette made a face, tapping the hardcover. "As I said, it's hard to understand because of all of the ye's and thou's and where hence and stuff...but from what I'm getting..."

"From what you're getting _what_?" Lana raised an eyebrow, prompting the taller woman to continue when she'd hesitated.

"Well, the gist that I'm getting, is that there are two parallel worlds, and that she held control over one of them." Lois looked at her friend, her worry showing.

Lana's eyes widened. "And you think that something Chloe did while looking at the book sent her to this parallel world."

"It fits." Lois nodded. "Somewhere in this book should be a spell to bring her back, but this thing is _huge_. We're never going to be able to read all of this _ever_!"

"I don't know about _ever_..." Lana mumbled. "But if I photocopy half of the book, then you can go through your half and I can my half. Between the two of us we should be able to find the spell and get her back."

Lois sighed. "This is going to take a while."

Lana nodded.

Lois made a face. "We should _really_ ask Smallville to pitch in a hand and help. The more people on this the quicker we can get through it."

Lana pouted, obviously not happy with that idea. "We're not together anyone, and it would be uncomfortable."

"Suck it up, Lang." Lois replied unsympathetically. "It's _your_ damned book that zapped Chlo to Oz, so you're just going to have to deal with Smallville."

"_Fine_." Lana sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Lois rolled her eyes at the girl and grabbed her cellular, punching in familiar numbers.

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After a tense dinner (Morgana seemed just as displeased as Chloe about the execution that would be taking place the next day, and unlike Chloe she had no problem letting King Uther how she felt about it) Chloe had retired early to the room she'd been given in the castle. It was uncomfortably close to Arthur's, and so she could always hear him when he walked passed her room to head to his for the night. She always noticed the way he paused, if only for a second, outside of her door. She wondered why he did that, but refused to acknowledge this or question him about it during the days. She felt like a prisoner whose warden kept making sure she hadn't escaped...which was probably exactly what was going on and the reason why her room was so close to his.

Sighing, Chloe blew out the candle, and listened as the footsteps moved away from her door, continuing to Arthur's room before entering.

And all was silent.

The blonde looked up at the dark ceiling and wondered just how she was going to get back home if Camelot kept executing her best chances of doing so.

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**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Merlin.**

**Sequel to: Mark of the Dragon**

**Written for my Paranormal25 150 Prompt Table. Prompt used #85: Lake Monster.**

**A/N1: This is not "THE" multichaptered story I was talking about earlier...but it *is* multichaptered.**

**A/N2: MERLIN is not in this story as yet, since he is still in Ealdor timeline-wise, but he WILL be coming to Camelot :)**

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"Thanks, for inviting me to come with you." Chloe sighed, looking out at the beautiful lake hidden deep within Igraine's abandoned garden. "I didn't want to stay there and watch it happen."

Morgana gave her a small smile and nodded. "I understand." Her gaze went skyward as she laid on the dead grass. "I've had to witness these _Cleansings_ since I was a child, but it never gets easy to do so."

Chloe sent the woman a sideways glance before biting her bottom lip, wondering if she should say what she truly thought about this. Morgana had spoken up against Uther to his face a couple of times, but she was also his ward, faithful to him, and Arthur had warned Chloe _constantly_ to remember that everyone in the castle were Uther's ears and if she liked living then she should just shut up, keep her head down, and not speak ill of the king. It was darkly amusing to Chloe how she couldn't stand Arthur, and he lived to antagonize her, yet he also seemed to want to protect her somewhat. It was perverse yet true.

So she kept to herself all of her thoughts about how unfair this ban on magic was, instead enjoying the silence of the garden.

"Arthur acts differently with you then he does with other women." Morgana surprised her by commenting.

"You mean he isn't as charming with everyone else?" Chloe mocked, hand to her heart.

"Exactly." Morgana nodded, no sarcasm at all in her voice.

Chloe blinked, surprised. "Are you saying he's been on his best behavior with me?"

"Haven't you noticed?" The King's ward asked, curious, and a bit amused. "He's never been this well behaved before."

"Well-behaved-?" Chloe shrieked. "He flaunts his power over the masses! Almost every time I pass him he starts bossing someone! He _insists_ on slaughtering the helpless, _innocent_ woodland creatures for no good reason and then likes to shove their poor, rotting _carcasses_ in my face! He antagonizes me endlessly! And he doesn't even treat his knights right! Whenever I pass by and they are training he turns into some sort of _demon_! Totally _pulverizing_ them and flaunting how much better he is than them!"

"Exactly." Morgana's lips twitched. "Adding all those things up, what exactly does that tell you?"

"That he's a _bully_!" Chloe exclaimed, not exactly sure why Morgana seemed so hellishly amused right now.

"Is that _all_?" Morgana asked.

"No." Chloe pouted. "But I'd probably be sent to the stocks for voicing the rest of my opinions about him."

The King's Ward burst out into laughter, holding her stomach as if it were hurting her from her laughter. "I like you Chloe, you're different from the other women here. I don't feel so...different...anymore." Her lips twitched. "Everyone thinks you're much odder than me."

"Well, I'm glad to be of some use." Chloe shook her head, standing. "I'm going to take a dip in the water."

Morgana waved her away.

Rolling her eyes in amusement, Chloe began undoing the buttons of her dress.

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Arthur had seen so many executions in his life that he had to admit, he'd found himself growing numb to them. He knew that magic was evil, and that those who practiced it were evil as well, but it didn't make their screams any easier to bare listening to. Still, he was the prince, and the people must not see any doubt or expression other than utter disgust towards the sorcerer upon his face, so he modeled his features as they should be and kept his eyes on the woman as she was tied to the stake. His father commenced his speech on how the woman was a witch, had been caught performing her witchery, and that as the laws of Camelot dictated, she must die for this treason.

The people gathered around, having grown as used as the prince to the Cleansings. Many threw vegetables at her, many leered, but some watched in pity and sadness. Arthur always noted those few.

"_Everyone will pay for this_!" The witch continued with the threats she'd issued the day before. "_Camelot will lose its hope! I'll make sure of it!_"

"Make sure of _this_ you old hag!" One of the men threw a potato at her.

King Uther motioned to the executioner, who rose the flaming torch up high for all to see, before lowering it and setting the kindle on fire all around the stake.

A cheer rose from the crowd, drowning out the words the witch was saying.

Something, though, curled in Arthur's stomach.

It felt very much like worry.

The skies, which had been clear and sunny, were quickly turning dark and dangerous, lightning crackling overhead.

Frowning, Arthur made his way closer to the stake, pushing passed the commoners and civilians, the knights flanking him doing the same. He didn't notice though, intent on the sneering witch, and only when he was close enough to feel the heat of the flames uncomfortably on his skin, was Arthur able her hear her voice. She wasn't speaking in english.

His eyes widened.

She was casting a spell!

Suddenly, a loud roar sounded behind them, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.

People screamed, looking around them, confused, not knowing what they'd heard.

"It came from the castle!" One of the peasants next to him whispered loudly.

Arthur turned, as a female scream filled the air.

"_Morgana_!" Uther stood.

"_Chloe_." Arthur whispered, drawing his sword and racing through the throng to get back to the castle.

As she burnt, the witch cackled.

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"Of all the times for Smallville to go MIA it _had_ to be now!" Lois Lane snapped, annoyed as hell and _showing_ when Lana returned later, half of the book photocopied.

Lana sat down next to her passing Lois the main book, keeping the photocopies for herself. "Well, nothing we can do about it but start looking for a way to bring Chloe back here." A muscle jumped in her cheek. "I don't know why you're so surprised anyway. Clark's _known_ to always disappear mysteriously whenever you need him and then never have a good excuse as to where he was or what he was doing."

Lois pouted, because Lana had a point there. "And yet _Chloe_ always used to be able to get ahold of him when he disappeared."

"That's because, whatever his secret is, she knows it." Lana replied a little coldly, before taking in a deep breath and shaking her head. "We need to get her back, Lois. It's _my fault_ she's wherever the hell she is." She clenched her jaw. "If I had just done the _smart_ thing and burned the damned book then this would _never_ have happened."

There was a moment's silence.

"Grimoire."

"Huh?" Lana turned towards Lois.

The taller brunnette gave her a small smile. "It's called a _Grimoire_."

Unable to keep the small, grateful smile from her face, Lana reached out and grabbed Lois' hand, squeezing it as she wordlessly thanked the other woman for not hating her or holding this against her.

"Let's do this." Lois opened the book.

Smiling, Lana straightened her photocopies. "Lets."

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Wearing the thinner white 'dress' that the women in these days called _underwear_, Chloe swam in the cold yet refreshing water. The sky was bright and sunny, not at all looking as a day an execution should take place on. Birds were singing happily in the garden that, now that she paid better attention, looked somehow improved since her last visit here with Arthur that once. Chloe couldn't exactly tell what it was about the place that looked better, since it was still overgrown and neglected, but she thought it might look _greener_ somehow. Less dead. And now that she thought about it, the garden had been uncommonly silent, whereas now the birds were singing, and she'd seen signs of nests being constructed in the surrounding trees.

Diving under, Chloe swam as far down as she could, surprised to realize that the lake was deeper than she'd thought and that she couldn't reach the bottom. So with her lungs beginning to protest she turned and began to ascend, breaking surface and taking in a deep breath. It was amazing how cold water could refresh the body during a scorching day, and now she was even beginning to feel a little chilly.

"There's something coming." Morgana whispered, shooting up, eyes glazed over.

Chloe's eyes widened as she tried to stay afloat on the water, gazing at the woman who was obviously in a trance. "Morgana?"

She needed to go get her and wake her out of it before someone came and realized what was going on!

Beginning to swim back to the water's edge, Chloe was halfway there before something shot out from the murky depth of the lake and wrapped itself around her ankle, yanking her under, her scream nothing but bubbles. Terror filled her heart and soul, her screams causing her to lose all her oxygen, and much strength as she tried to untangle the thing curled around her. But her body went lax in horror as she saw a large black mass moving towards her from the darkness, two eyes glowing like sapphires glaring right at her. Whatever it was, it was _huge_, and it was _pissed off_.

The thing shot passed her and out of the water, its tail, which was what had curled around her, let go for a second only to coil around her waist and yank her out of the water with it into the air. The first thing Chloe did once she was dangling in the air was take in deep, desperate breaths, and the second was to scream. Loudly. Unfortunately the sound was drowned out by the creature's roar, and suddenly they were ascending higher into the darkening, thundering sky.

"CHLOE!" Morgana, obviously out of her trance now, was on her feet. "SOMEONE! HELP!"

"LET GO OF ME!" Chloe screamed, pounding her fists into the tail curled around her waist. "NO!"

The thing continued to roar, ascending higher and higher.

Sensing movement below, Chloe looked down in time to see Arthur racing into the gardens, sword drawn, knights behind him. "ARTHUR!"

He looked up at her in horror.

But then the creature took off, taking her with it.

It was so fast, lightning raining down all around them.

Chloe screamed and closed her eyes tightly as those flashes of blinding light exploded all around her. For the moment they scared her more than this unidentifiable lake monster, which somehow also had the ability of flight despite not having any wings that she could see. It was more like a large snake, which moved in rapid S-formation in the sky. But it also had four short yet powerful looking taloned legs curled under it. It kinda looked like a weird dragon, but it wasn't. Somehow, Chloe just knew it wasn't a dragon.

With how fast the creature was going, Chloe was finding it harder and harder to catch her breath, especially as the creature ascended higher into the sky, tightening its grip around her.

Chloe gazed down below, so terrified as she realized how high up she was, and how extremely _fast_ they were going.

As she struggled to continue breathing, Chloe's eyes narrowed as lights seemed to be emerging from the vast greenery of the forest beneath her. The lights grew brighter and closer, and as she clung to consciousness, Chloe wondered if this was that 'light at the end of the tunnel' thing she'd heard so much about. But then, as it neared, Chloe realized it wasn't light at all. Not really. They were millions of tiny beings of light that raced towards them, descending upon the creature carrying her with ferocious intensity. They might have been tiny, but they were vicious, and the creature howled, trying to claw them off of it, but there were just too many.

Chloe was horrified and terrified, and yet the creatures didn't bother her, instead completely covering the creature and causing it intense agony, while leaving her unharmed.

Suddenly, the tail holding her flung her away, and Chloe screamed as her body fell through the air, clawing at the air, trying to stop her fall and yet knowing that she wouldn't be able to.

Up above, the creature continued to wither and writhe under the vicious attack of those creatures of light.

And it was around there that the oxygen depravation took over, and everything went black, the last thing she seeing were the lights racing towards her.

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Lancelot Du Lac had been hunting for something to eat when the forest had gone unnaturally silent. He'd taken a cue from the animals of the forest and hid himself in the shadows, silent as death, alert, waiting for whatever was to happen. The only time animals went silent like this was when a predator was close, and considering that they'd been loud and noisy while Lancelot had been hunting, the young man knew that whatever was out there was worse than he.

And that was when the ground shook as something seemed to fall from the heavens onto the clearing a couple of yards away.

Eyes narrowed, Lancelot drew his sword and stealthily made his way towards the clearing, eyes widening as his dark eyes finally landed on the beast bloody and broken. It's skin was peeling, blood oozing, looking as if it'd been attacked by a million different creatures.

What could have _done_ this to a creature this large?

Hearing something that sounded similar to wind chimes, Lancelot frowned, knowing that they were far from any village.

He looked around him, and then paused, concentrating, and then gazed up. His eyes widened in shock, as he gazed upon a sky covered in glittering fae. He'd never seen so many before, the creatures preferring solitude away from humans, preferring their own company. And yet here they seemed to cover the sky above him, and were slowly lowering, the countless creatures apparently carrying something. He was wary, unsure of what to expect.

And yet, as they lowered further and he was finally able to catch a glimpse of their cargo, his grip on his sword loosened in shock.

It was...a girl.

The fae began to disperse slowly as they got closer to him, and Lancelot realized their intention in time to sheathe his sword and reach out for the girl as she was deposited into his arms.

She was cold, wet, bruised, and only wearing her undergarments.

It was obvious that this _beast_ had kidnapped her and the fae had intervened for her own protection.

But _why_?

Lancelot tore his gaze from her lovely face and looked up, seeing the fae circling around them, obviously concerned.

In his arms, the girl took in a deep breath and whimpered in her sleep, turning towards him, obviously seeking his body heat.

This movement on her part seemed to assure the fae that she was fine, because they suddenly took off in a million different directions, disappearing into the woods all around them.

Lancelot gazed around, before his attention returned to the female in his arms. He needed to get her to somewhere warm, and get her out of those clothes, or she was going to be very ill. There'd been a cave a little ways back that he'd spent the night in, and that was the best place he could think of right now.

Accommodating the weight of the damsel in his arms, Lancelot turned and returned the way he'd come, the sounds of the woodland creatures louder than he'd ever heard them.

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**Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Merlin.**

**Sequel to: Mark of the Dragon**

**Written for my Paranormal25 150 Prompt Table. Prompt used #85: Lake Monster.**

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When Chloe awoke, it was to the sound of a crackling fire, and the scent of something cooking. For a moment she was disoriented, not exactly sure what was going on, but then she remembered the lake monster and jolted up, the blanket over her tumbling to her waist.

"Calm down, you're safe now." A soothing voice comforted.

Following the sound of that voice, Chloe's eyes widened as her gaze rested upon one of the handsomest men she'd ever seen. His skin was tanned from days under the sun, his hair long and slightly wild yet _beautiful_. His eyes were dark, framed by darker eyelashes.

"Are you in pain?" He asked, standing and coming slowly to her, cautious as one would be with a frightened animal, before kneeling before her. "Do not fear that I took advantage of you due to your change in attire. I was merely trying to keep you from catching your death."

Her gaze lowered to wear she was wearing an oversized male's shirt, obviously his own, and then she looked back up at him, blushing.

Her silence seemed to worry him. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

As if one could forget a lake monster kidnapping you and then these balls of-.

Chloe's eyes widened and she felt herself rapidly.

Her last memory was of those lights racing towards her!

How had she managed to escape?

"What's wrong?" He frowned, resting his hands on her shoulders in a calming manner. "Can you speak?"

"How did-the monster-those _lights_-."

"Lights? You mean the fae?" He asked curiously.

"Fae?" Chloe blinked, before her eyes widened. "You're telling me those things were _fairies_? Fairies _exist_?"

He eyed her in utter surprise. "You did not know of their existence?"

"I-where I come from-we're taught that they aren't real." Chloe whispered, running a hand over her hair and shaking her head, unable to believe it. "Fairies. Wow."

"This makes it more intriguing." Her rescuer mumbled. "I thought it odd that the fae would come from their hidden realms to protect a girl...and you didn't even know that they existed."

"Protect?" Chloe whispered, shocked. "They were protecting me?"

"Yes." He nodded. "From the body of the beast, I could see that they attacked it viciously, and then they delivered you to me. Only when you were in my arms did they return to their realm."

Chloe's hand went to her forehead. "Whoa."

His dark eyes scanned her face. "What exactly happened to you? What was that beast and how did it get you?"

"I-I don't know what it was." Chloe admitted, looking up into his face, wondering what was wrong with her since all she could really think of right now was how handsome he was. "I was swimming in a lake and the next thing I know it emerged from the water and took me with it as it flew into the air. And then those lights-the _fae_-attacked it and I was falling and that's the last thing I remember."

"Was it far from here?" He asked. "Is...do you belong to a woodland tribe?"

That caused her to look up in surprise. "Excuse me?"

He cleared his throat, a soft blush climbing up his neck. "I couldn't help but notice the tattoo that covers your back. It-I've come across druids before who have had similar tattoos, though none as detailed and stunning..." he looked away, blush darkening, mortification obvious. "I mean to say...I would be honored if you allowed me to be your protector and take you back to your people. It is not safe for a young woman to be traveling by herself."

Druids had tattoos like hers?

Chloe's eyes widened.

If so...then maybe if she could find some druids she'd be able to find some answers to her questions!

Maybe they'd know what the tattoo meant and how to send her back home!

_But what if he's one of the king's men and he'd trying to trick me? If he thinks I'm a druid he'll probably kill me_.

Eyes narrowing, she hugged herself, looking away from him towards the fire. "Where exactly are we?"

She gazed at the fire, remembering how the witch was to burn before this all had happened.

"You are in Escetia, King Cenred's kingdom." He replied.

Chloe's eyes widened as she looked at him once more. "We're not in Camelot?"

His eyes narrowed at that slightly. "No, but Escetia lies near Camelot."

Chloe's eyes widened, and a small smile tilted the curve of her lips. "When the beast was flying it must have crossed over the borders." She brought her hands to her face as she grinned brightly, before suddenly diminishing, turning to look at her rescuer warily. "What are the policies of Escetia?"

"Concerning _what_?" He asked, cautiously.

She gulped. "Magic."

He eyed her, expression darkening. "Milady, Escetia has no policies concerning magic. They accept all."

Relief was instantaneous as she brought her hands to cover her face, sighing. "Oh thank god."

"Were you being held captive in Camelot for witchery, milady?" The man asked, concern darkening his face.

"No. No I wasn't...I'm not a witch." Chloe looked up, smiling. "But...I need to find these druids you mentioned. Do you-do you know of any that live close to where we are?"

"I myself am not from Escetia, but I have heard of a small druid encampment a few days ride from here...on foot it would take closer to a week though." He sighed, looking ashamed. "I regret that I do not have a horse and we'd have to make the journey on foot."

"That's no problem." Chloe smiled, touched at the genuine shame on his face at the thought of her walking. "I'm a lot tougher than I probably look, and I've been cooped up for so long that this is _exactly_ what I need."

He looked up at her at the wording, obviously not believing that she hadn't been held captive in Camelot.

Then again, she _had_ been held captive, hadn't she?

Even if she'd been treated well, she was forbidden to leave, and the loss of freedom was captivity.

"Thank you, by the way." Chloe whispered, looking up at his face. "For taking care of me."

His gaze lowered and he smiled. "It was my pleasure."

Blushing softly, gazing at the animal-skin blanket covering her, Chloe cleared her throat before looking up and reaching out her hand. "I'm Chloe Sullivan."

He eyed her hand before reached for it and turning it in his, bringing the back of her palm to his lips as his eyes met hers. "Lancelot Du Lac, at your service."

Chloe's eyes widened in shock.

Lancelot Du Lac?

As in future Knight of Camelot?

As in one-third of the most tragic love triangle in history?

Her lips parted.

Wow.

She'd met the two male leads in one of the most intense love stories ever told.

As she gulped, Chloe bit down on her bottom lip.

Wherever Guinevere was right now...she sure was one lucky girl.

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"This is interesting."

Lana looked up from the paper she'd been reading. "Did you find anything?"

"Not a spell to bring her back...it's actually not a spell at all...but..." Lois finally looked up. "This Nimueh character, she kept a log of certain things, and according to her she lived during the time of King Uther and Queen Igraine."

Lana raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to know who they are?"

Lois rolled her eyes. "I forgot, you're not Chloe."

Lana pouted. "Obviously."

"No, I mean, Chloe has always been fascinated with the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. She was _obsessed_ with the stories from the time she was a baby, so she'd have gotten the reference and would probably be geeking out about now." Lois sighed, expression nostalgic as she thought of her lost cousin. "You know, when she was _really_ young, she used to call herself Guinevere and wouldn't answer to any other name." Lois smiled softly at the memory. "She _insisted_ that she was Princess Guinevere, daughter of King Leodegrance, and that some wicked witch had stolen her away from her beloved Arthur."

"Really?" Lana grinned brightly, enamored with the story already. "That's so _cute_."

"I know." Lois grinned brightly. "She _insisted_ that she was Prince Arthur's fiancee, and that I was her lady in waiting, Gertrude."

"Lady in waiting?" Lana giggled, greatly amused. "So you were the servant."

"_Companion_." Lois corrected haughtily, lips twitching.

"So, what happened?" Lana asked, enjoying this tale.

"I...don't know." Lois frowned. "One day she just _stopped_. I don't think she even remembers any of it. But she's always been obsessed with anything to do with Camelot, King Arthur, and the knight Lancelot."

"So Uther and Igraine were supposed to be from the days of Camelot?" Lana asked, curious.

Lois nodded. "They're King Arthur's parents."

"What a coincidence." Lana grinned brightly, going back to her page, humming. "We'll have to tell Chloe about it when we get her back."

"Yeah..." Lois frowned, bringing a hand to her head, unable to shake off an uneasy feeling beginning to brew inside of her. "Coincidence..."

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**Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Merlin.**

**Sequel to: Mark of the Dragon**

**Written for my Paranormal25 150 Prompt Table. Prompt used #85: Lake Monster.**

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It'd taken days to finally track down the decomposing body of the beast that'd risen from the lake and kidnapped Chloe, and they'd been days of hell for Arthur as he replayed her screaming his name as the monster took her away. The young prince had called himself a million foul names during the whole time, pushing himself and his knights harder than their bodies were supposed to go, and yet the knights had never voiced a complaint, as if knowing that their leader was in turmoil. And he was. Because he was utterly useless. Once again he'd been unable to do anything as something magical took her from him. And maybe this time had been for real. Maybe the witch's final vengeance before the fire consumed her had destroyed Chloe. And it was all his fault. He shouldn't have let her out of his sight. He'd _known_ that she had a bad history with witches. _Why_ had he left her side that morning? _Why_?

He prayed to the gods, swearing to them that if they let him find Chloe alive that he would never let her out of his sight again, and that no matter what he'd make her his Queen and take proper care of her. He'd even try not to antagonize her as much, even if it _was_ glorious to see that angry flush darken her skin...or the way her eyes changed color slightly when she was furious at him, her whole body trembling slightly with the obvious desire to punch him. As prince Arthur had always been able to treat anyone the way he wanted and they would never react to him, but Chloe reacted. She didn't know that she was really royalty herself, that she was _his fiance_, and thus he would allow her to get away with things others would be put in the stocks. No. She didn't know. So every time she verbally battled him, every time she was cheeky and insolent, it was with her believing she could end up being punished for it.

And yet she spoke her mind before him.

He knew that there wasn't a facade when it came to her.

Chloe was very truthful.

Even if that truth was blunt.

Or painful.

He knew she detested it in Camelot, knew that without the memories hidden deep within her psyche that this wasn't her intended home, but her prison. It tortured him to pass her room every night and know that inside she was trying to find a way to escape him. He'd doubled the guards, told them to be alert and to always keep an eye on her. She wasn't to be allowed to escape. She was to remain in Camelot. Whether she liked it or not.

But he was going to make sure that she _did_ like it.

He'd been trying to work on her, to show her how superior he was to those around. Whenever she was around he showed her how, as prince, he had dominion over others and thus subtly imply that by his side, she could have this power as well. Whenever she walked passed the training area he savagely showed her how easily he could best the greatest of his knights, proving that he would be the only protector she'd need, and for her to know that she was safe with him. And whenever he came back from hunts he made it a point to show her the game he personally caught, letting her know that even if he weren't a prince he could easily provide food for her table.

Any other maiden would have swooned at his feet by now, but not Chloe.

No. Not her.

If anything, he suspected she wasn't very impressed, and he couldn't understand _why_.

Morgana seemed hellishly amused every single time Arthur walked away from a meeting with Chloe with the distinct feeling that she just wasn't getting it, so he believed that Morgana might know more than he did about what exactly was going wrong in his courtship. It only proved to annoy him further.

But when he got Chloe back, he'd double his efforts...because maybe he just wasn't being obvious enough.

He'd have to display more dominion over the masses, more savage proficiency in training, and hunt bigger, tougher game.

This should work.

But first he needed to find his lost princess and take her back to the kingdom that would become theirs once he got through to that thick skull and made her remember all that she'd forgotten thanks to that accursed _witch_.

He and his knights had travelled days and nights, all throughout Camelot's boarder, in the direction the monster had taken, and then they realized that it could have very well crossed the boarder into King Cenred's kingdom. Arthur knew that the prince and knights entering King Cenred's kingdom could very well be mistaken as an invasion, so they'd had to hide their armor and emblems, breaking off into smaller groups and riding long and hard, each group having a messenger bird to deliver messages should one party discover the whereabouts of the creature and of Chloe. When one of the parties sent word that they'd found the foul beast, Arthur and the others had raced to the location specified, taking two days to do so, and when they did they found the decaying body of the monster that'd spirited Chloe away from within the castle walls itself.

It'd obviously been attacked and killed, though with the level of decomposition they couldn't tell what exactly had killed the beast. And they also couldn't find any trace of Chloe. But what they _did_ find were tracks, made by a man, which were a couple of days old. It led away from the beast, and the way the tracks were sunken into the ground betrayed the fact that whoever had made them had been carrying something heavy enough to be a young woman.

Arthur had silently thanked the gods for this little morsel of hope that Chloe was alive, and they followed the tracks to a well-hidden cave. They could tell that two people had stayed in this cave, and then had left. One of the footprints were of male boots, and the other were softer tracks, made by female feet bound in some sort of material, denoting a lack of shoes. And considering that Chloe had been kidnapped in her undergarments, once again the facts were aligning...as was the discovery of the very undergarment itself, discarded. She must have put on some of her rescuer's clothes.

"These tracks," one of his knights mumbled. "They are not heading towards Camelot."

Arthur knew that, a muscle in his cheek jumping as he realized what Chloe was doing.

She'd been given the opportunity she'd been looking for. She was away from Camelot, and she would look for someone who could help send her back to that dimension she erroneously believed her home.

He snarled.

He wasn't going to allow her to foolishly send herself back to that realm for prisoners the witch hadn't felt the desire to kill.

Arthur turned to his men. "We ride hard. They have a couple of days start."

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"A good day, strangers."

Jumping, Chloe turned the same time Lancelot did, unsheathing his sword to find that they were surrounded by druids. The people had blended in with the woodland, only making their presence known when they had finished assessing the newcomers.

"What brings you to these parts of the woods?" The man asked once more, stepping forwards, obviously the leader of the druids surrounding them.

Chloe cleared her throat, stepping forwards. "I am Chloe Sullivan, and this is my champion, Lancelot Du Lac." She watched Lancelot slowly put away his sword, before she continued. "I have come seeking the guidance of your Elders."

Curiosity burned obvious on their faces.

"In what aspect can we help you, child?" The man wanted to know, tilting his head to the side.

Chloe cleared her throat, sending Lancelot a quick look, a little nervous since she hadn't told him any of this as yet. "I am from another world, and my friend's ancestor's grimoire accidentally sent me here."

There were whispers from the men as they suddenly looked at each other.

Lancelot's eyes widened. "Another..._world_?"

Sending him an apologetic look over her shoulder, Chloe turned back to the druid. "Not only was I sent here, but when I awoke I had a symbol tattooed on my back that I'd never had there before." She looked around her as the whispers grew louder, harsher. "Lancelot told me that druids have similar tattoos, and I wanted to seek your knowledge."

The man frowned, eyes on her intently. "This marking on your back. What animal does it depict?"

How had he known it was an animal?

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "A...dragon."

Suddenly one of the druids turned and _ran_, disappearing into the endless trees.

The others had suddenly gone silent, eyes wide and on her.

Chloe gulped, taking a step towards Lancelot, who was resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it should he be provoked.

Finally, the silence was broken by the druid once more as he pulled the hood from off of his head. "He has gone to inform the elders that you have arrived." He motioned for them to follow the others as the druids began to move away. "Come, we shall take you to our settlement."

Feeling warmth of a protective hand at the small of her back, Chloe looked up at Lancelot and gave him a thankful smile, feeling safer with him there.

"Please forgive us for the less than hospital greeting, but although we live in Escetia we have met with those...prejudiced...against our kind who would wish us ill." He announced with a sigh. "We are a peaceful people, who only wish to commune with nature, but King Uther's views have corrupted even those outside of his kingdom." His gaze went to her. "And I am sure that you already know how..._compelling_...he can be."

"Sir...how did you know that I came from Camelot?" Chloe asked, confused.

Lancelot sent them a sideways glance, curious as well.

"Please, call me Cerdan." He replied with a small smile. "And as for your question, we druids have many prophecies passed down from us. One of them foretold the arrival of the maiden who bears the Mark of the Dragon on her skin, the blood of the fae in her veins, and the hope of Albion in her hands."

"_What_?" Chloe hissed, coming to a complete stop. "The hope of-? That can't be right! I-you have the wrong person!"

"Blood of the fae?" Lancelot muttered softly, running his hand through his gorgeous locks. "It would explain why the fae saved you from the beast, milady."

"But-!" Chloe sputtered. "Where I come from there _aren't_ any fairies! There is no way that I could have their blood in my veins!"

Yet the rest of the argument died on her lips when she stumbled into the small yet busy village, the druids having been warned of her arrival and all out of their huts, watching her in wide-eyed awe. She gulped, nervous, fingering a lock of hair as she found herself the center of everyone's attention. She was wearing some of Lancelot's clothes, which were obviously too huge for her, and he'd wrapped animal skins around her feet in a makeshift sort of moccasins. Her hair hadn't been properly combed since she'd been rescued, and she was sure she smelt. It'd been embarrassing to be like this with only Lancelot...and now there was a whole village with their eyes on her.

"Father?" A soft voice asked. "Is this really her?"

Chloe turned towards that voice, eyes widening as they rested upon an adorable looking boy with dark hair and intense blue eyes.

Those blue eyes stared up into hers intently.

"This is my son, Mordred." Cerdan surprised the hell out of her by announcing, placing his hands proudly on the boy's shoulder.

Chloe's eyes widened ever further as she stared down at the boy she'd always known as being Arthur's son by his half-sister Anna Morgause. She had to admit, this was probably one of the changes from the original legend that she was most pleased about. The whole 'Arthur sleeps with his sister and has his son/nephew living in court with him, and that son later seduces (or tries to seduce, the versions vary) his father's wife, marries Guinevere, and crowns himself king while Arthur is out fighting in Europe...well...that had been a bit _disturbing_ for Chloe. At least in this version Mordred was _not_ Arthur's son, and not only that, but he was a druid, who believed in living in peace. There was no way that this kid would grow up to become the man who'd fight Arthur in Camlann, and end up killing each other. Or seducing Guinevere.

Chloe made a face.

Now that she thought it, for a woman in the medieval times, Guinevere sure had had a racy sex life. She'd had Arthur, Lancelot, Mordred, _and_ she'd been ravished numerous times by the _MANY_ men who'd kidnapped her. Seriously, Guinevere being kidnapped and ravished (or having some affair or the other) was a prominent theme in the Arthurian legends. The woman sure hadn't had a boring moment.

Chloe's gaze sidled towards Lancelot.

She kinda thought...well...if she'd been Guinevere, Chloe really couldn't see the need for any other lover other than Lancelot. She really couldn't blame the Queen for having an affair with the future knight because while she was sure Guinevere must have loved Arthur greatly...there was just something about Lancelot that not even Chloe could defend her female senses against.

Despite all the different stories with Guinevere and her indiscretions, Lancelot was always prominent as a great love of hers. Some versions implied Arthur was Guinevere's one true love and Lancelot the one she couldn't let go, and others had had Guinevere being married off to Arthur due to his obsessive love for her, while she truly loved Lancelot. In others, she loved them both greatly and just couldn't choose between the two. Only two things stayed true in all the versions. One was that Arthur had been warned by Merlin before the wedding that Guinevere would love Lancelot (and Lancelot would love her) and Arthur hadn't cared...hadn't been able to give up on her, marrying her despite this knowledge. The other consistency in the tales were of Lancelot's nobility, righteousness, trustworthiness and loyalty...his admiration and brotherly love and respect for his king...and how none of that had been able to keep him from seeking his queen out and loving her as a man should his wife. His great love for Guinevere had corrupted him in the end, in which he'd more than once injured himself forcing her windows open so that he could sneak into her room and sate himself with her.

In fact, in Guinevere's abduction by Meliagrance in Le Morte d'Arthur, it stated that: '_Sir Lancelot went unto bed with the queen, and he took no force of his hurt hand, but took his pleasance and his liking until it was in the dawning of the day ... and when he saw his time that he might tarry no longer he took his leave and departed at the window, and put it together as well as he might again.'_

It'd also been noted how while Lancelot would die for his king, that he was more of the Queen's Knight than Arthur's, and that he had saved her on numerous occasions.

_I kinda hate her_.

Biting her bottom lip, Chloe looked away, telling herself off for being so resentful and jealous of someone she didn't even know.

Thankfully, the Elders greeted them, drawing her out of her revere, and with Lancelot's hand warm and protective on the small of her back, she followed the men into the large hut in the middle of the village.

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"I'm _dying_." Lois whimpered, eyes bloodshot, half-lying on top of the table. She was no where near completing her half of the book, and was about to drop unconscious from lack of sleep.

Next to her, Lana snored, drooling daintily onto the piece of paper beneath her.

"Must...stay...awake..." Lois fought with her own body, which was beginning to shut down with its need for rest. "Must...keep...searching..."

Her eyelids finally closed, and her soft snores joined Lana's.

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Chloe felt numb.

She looked from one elder to the other, wanting to tell them that they were mistaken, and yet the prophecy read about her was so precise. It'd spoken of a young maiden who'd come from another world, who would work alongside someone named Emrys to help heal Camelot, and through it, the whole of Albion. This 'fair one' was necessary in healing the darkness and hurt that'd crippled Camelot, and would be instrumental in bringing magic back to the lands, and peace to its people. The woman prophesied, the one whose fae blood freed her from the other world, was said to bare the Mark of the Dragon upon her back as a token for the druids, and other magical beings, to know her by.

Chloe hung her head, wanting to rant and scream and tell them that this wasn't fair. She wasn't supposed to be in this world. This wasn't her fight.

And yet...and yet Chloe knew a thing or two about destinies, and knew that if this truly was hers, then she wasn't going to be able to hide from it or outrun it.

She sighed, knowing her expression was bleak. "I'll have to return to Camelot then."

"Yes." The Elder nodded. "Your presence is needed if there is to be healing."

Chloe looked at her hands and closed her eyes tightly.

She didn't want to go back to Camelot.

She wanted to go home.

She wanted to see her family and friends, to hug them tight and tell them she loved them.

But according to the druids they couldn't send her back, and even if they could they wouldn't, not when she could bring the healing their world had been pleading for for so long.

Chloe's head hung.

A single tear made its way silently down her cheek.

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**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or Merlin.**

**Sequel to: Mark of the Dragon**

**Written for my Paranormal25 150 Prompt Table. Prompt used #85: Lake Monster.**

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"You don't have to go back."

Chloe looked up from the flowers she'd been staring unseeingly at, and turned towards the voice, seeing Lancelot standing a little behind her. He was tall and silent, mixing well with the shadows of the setting sun. His eyes were intense and concerned, his gaze never leaving her face.

The blonde wished he was really a Knight of Camelot. If he had been, this would have been so much easier from the start. There was just something about Lancelot that made her feel calm and at ease, protected. He reminded her of Clark in that way. She mightn't have known Lancelot for more than a couple of days, but that was all it took for her to observe him and see how noble and brave and _caring_ he was. He was everything the legends swore him to be...and _more_.

"Yeah, I actually do. Destiny and all that." She muttered, hugging herself as she turned fully in his direction, the wind whipping at her hair around her face. Thankfully the druids had given her clothes and shoes, so she'd been able to bathe, put them on, and feel a little less of a disaster.

His eyes narrowed and he hesitated only a second before taking a step closer. "I hope you do not find me too forwards, but while I have only known you for a few days, I-." He looked away, clearing his voice. "I have grown...fond...of you, My Lady."

She smiled softly, looking up at him. "And I you, My Knight."

He blushed and looked away, clearing his throat. "I am no Knight. I am a mere peasant boy who lost all he could call home and family...and just wandered."

Her heart hurt her to hear that. "I can understand the feeling."

He gaze at her before closing the distance between them and resting his hands on her shoulders. "I can't abide the thought of you returning to your captivity in Camelot just because of the words of these druids." His grip tightened slightly. "If you so desire, we could find another druid colony and seek their council. Or we could seek the council of white witches that live scattered around Escetia."

"I have the sneaking suspicion they might just tell us the same thing the Elders here did." Chloe whispered, looking up at him with a sigh. "Think about it, Lancelot. My _blood_ sent me here. I'm _supposed_ to be in Camelot. And...and while I mightn't have bee exactly _happy_ there it was because I wanted to go home, not because they were treating me meanly. I was actually living inside the castle walls, and had an easy life." The blonde worried her bottom lip, head ducking. "I wasn't treated badly at all."

He was silent as he looked at her, before clearing his throat. "What...what was your home realm like?"

"Well, for one, most people don't believe in magic, that it actually exists, but I had a brush with it on my eighteenth birthday so I know that it does exist there." She shook her head at the memory, smiling when Lancelot offered her his arm. She took it, letting him lead her through the lush meadow filled with flowers right outside of the druid encampment, the sun beginning to set around them. "I live in a house with my cousin, and there's something called electricity...and indoor plumbing."

"Electricity?" Lancelot tried that word on his tongue, face betraying his utter curiosity. "Indoor plumbing?" He made a face. "But that cannot be sanitary. And the scent alone..."

Chloe let out a bark of amusement. "No, I swear, it's awesome! You go to the bathroom, and there's this...well the toilet. You do your business, then you pull on this lever, and your...business...gets flushed down a drain and taken far away from your house, and clean water takes its place instead. So everything's clean and sanitary. We also have something called a shower, or a tub, in the bathroom with the toilet. You get in, turn a lever, and water comes out so you can bathe. And there are different levers you can turn to get hot, cold, or mix them up and get warm water."

Lancelot gazed at her with wide eyes. "I thought you said that in your realm people do not believe in magic."

"They don't. Not most of them anyways." Chloe responded.

"But...but what could that be other than magic?" Lancelot reasoned.

She smiled brightly, seeing how he could confuse them. "It's not. It's called _technology_."

"It still sounds like magic to me." Lancelot murmured thoughtfully, hand resting on the one she had on his arm. "What other _technology_ do you have in this realm?"

"Well, we don't have to light candles or torches for light during the nights-though some do it for fun or to set the mood. Instead, once the sun sets, there are these switches in our walls, and we just flip them on, and light just turns on." Chloe laughed at the awed fascination on Lancelot's face. "And we also have ways of communicating with others. The first is the phone. Its this little box that you carry around with you, and by marking in a previously designated code of numbers, you can actually talk to the person whose box corresponds to those numbers, even if they are all the way on the other side of the world."

"_Fascinating_." Lancelot whispered.

"Useful." Chloe corrected with a cheeky grin, admittedly feeling more like herself right now with him, than she had during her whole stay at Camelot. She could be open and honest with him, and instead of seeming angry and hateful towards her world like Arthur, Lancelot was obviously intrigued and curious to hear more. It surprised her to realize just how much she'd needed to talk to someone and tell them about her world and all the things she loved and missed about it. "There's also this bigger box called a computer. With it you can look up information, watch movies, listen to music, and write letters to people anywhere in the world, and those letters will arrive to their box in seconds."

"This...this technology seems even _greater_ than magic." Lancelot declared, a small smile on his face. "What is a movie?"

"Hmmmm...how do I explain?" Energized by the challenge, Chloe tightened her grip on his arm. "Well, it's a story, like a play. It can be seen on a computer, but mostly you watch movies or series on the television. The television is another box but you only use it to watch movies or see cartoons. As I said before, movies are like plays but different, since it has special effects that make dragons and magic and anything make-believe in my world look real. And cartoons are drawings that move and have sound and color, and tell a story."

Lancelot smiled softly, obviously trying to imagine what she was depicting and yet unable to. "This world of yours...it is unlike anything I have ever heard of." His smile suddenly lessened as he looked away from her. "Hearing you speak of it, I can understand how you wish so desperately to return there."

She gazed up at his face, her heart skipping a beat at the expression on his face. "Lancelot, to be truthful, while I love the convenience of technology, it's not what I miss. Other than a good cup of coffee-which I'd _kill_ for right about now-I can easily see myself living without all of that." She smiled sadly, gazing at the flowers. "It's my family and friends that I miss so much and want to go back to."

"Would you tell me of them?"

Chloe found tears coming to her eyes.

No one in Camelot had asked her about her family or friends. Sure, only Arthur, King Uther, and Gaius knew the truth about where she came from, but they'd never taken the time to find out about her, or _why_ she wanted to go back. Gaius had been fatherly and told her that it wouldn't happen, so it was best for her if she put it behind her and grew to love Camelot. King Uther forbad her from mentioning it in his presence. And Arthur...Arthur got so _pissed_.

Lancelot was the first person who knew who actually _gave a damn_.

Chloe let go of his arm and surprised the hell out of him by hugging him tightly, hiding her face in his chest as she cried, _truly_ cried, for the first time since waking up in this foreign world.

Lancelot hesitated before his arms went around her, holding her tightly to him. "Please forgive me, I should have realized how thinking of them would have saddened-."

"_No_." She hugged him tighter, voice muffled by his shirt. "I-I'm not crying because of-I'm-I'm crying because-." She sniffled, trying to calm herself once more. "_Thank you_, Lancelot." She whispered, face still hidden in his shirt. "Meeting you has probably been the best thing that's happened to me since I came here."

There was silence, and then his arms tightened slightly around her.

She smiled, resting her cheek against his chest, breathing in his scent. Her eyes closed as she felt his warmth soothing her, her tears slowing and then ending as she pressed closer. "My mother left me when I was a child, so I only have vague memories of her. My father died during an explosion meant to kill me, and since then my uncle has had my guardianship but let me live in my father's house with his eldest daughter, Lois. I have two cousins, but I'm only close to Lois. She's my best friend and sister...so much closer than just a cousin. She's the only family I can really count on, and I'm the same to her."

Lancelot listened in silence, letting her speak to her heart's content.

"One of my oldest friends is named Clark, and he's in love with my other friend, Lana. They keep getting together and breaking up, only to get back together again." She felt so completely relaxed and happy right now it was insane. "Lois, Lana, and Clark are about the only people I have in the other world...but I miss them all _so much_. And I also know that they have to be so worried about me, trying to figure out what happened and how to deal with it. How to get me back."

There was silence as they stood in the middle of the flower-covered meadow, the moon rising in the sky behind them, night birds singing, fireflies beginning to appear here and there. From the druid encampment music and singing could be heard, adding to an already ridiculously romantic environment.

Chloe couldn't help but smile through her blush.

"My village was attacked by bandits when I was a child, my parents and many others were killed. The rest of us only survived because some passing knights intervened and defeated the bandits." Lancelot whispered. "Ever since then I wanted to become a knight, to uphold justice, to protect the weak and stand up for others who couldn't do so. I-I have been traveling endlessly, wandering, learning different trades, different techniques of battle, from different villages and towns. I am not good enough as yet, but one day I would like to become a knight. I-despite the fact that I do not agree with many of its kingdom's policies-the Camelot code of Knighthood is the most noble that I have yet to encounter."

Chloe smiled softly, although that smile was tinged with slight regret.

Her presence there really wasn't going to change anything.

Arthur would somehow change from the asshole he was now and would become the amazing king she'd always admired and crushed on.

Lancelot would become the First Knight of Camelot, and would be every bit the man she'd always crushed on as well.

And Guinevere would get to enjoy both of Chloe's childhood crushes.

It just wasn't _fair_.

"You'll be the best knight Camelot will ever have." She whispered into his chest.

"I doubt-."

"No, Lancelot. Never doubt yourself." Chloe shook her head viciously. "You _will_ _be_. I know it."

He was silent, but she could somehow _feel_ the smile on his lips.

"LANCELOT!" A young voice screamed, causing them to jump apart and turn towards it.

A young boy was racing out of the forest towards them, looking tired and scratched, but determined.

"_Henry_?" Lancelot whispered, hurrying towards the lad. "What has happened? How did you find me?"

"I've been tracking you for days!" The young boy exclaimed, out of breath. "Mrs. Oakes-she's dying! She wants to see you before-she's holding on! I promised her I'd find you and bring you back!"

"Mrs. Oakes." Lancelot whispered, sadness entering his face. "We must make haste then."

"Yes, come, come." The boy tuggged on Lancelot's sleeve.

Lancelot hesitated before turning to Chloe.

"Go on." Chloe shooed him. "I'll be fine."

"But-." Lancelot was conflicted, that was obvious. He wanted to go back to see his dying friend, but he also wanted to be the one to take Chloe back to Camelot.

"_Go_." Chloe walked towards him and placed a hand on his arm. "You're needed there. You _need_ to go."

"Will you wait with the druids?" Lancelot asked suddenly. "I'll come back."

A small smile tilted her lips. "Okay."

He smiled brightly. "I'll be back soon." He looked like he might want to reach out for her, but restrained the desire, taking in a deep breath as he turned to Henry. "Let's go."

Henry gave Chloe a curious, childlike look, before gazing up at Lancelot and nodding.

The two disappeared into the woods.

Chloe hugged herself, watching them go until she couldn't anymore.

Turning her back on the forest, she closed her eyes tightly.

All the warmth she'd felt only moments ago was completely gone.

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"Lana."

Lana snored.

"Lana!"

Lana groaned.

"_LANA_!"

Yelping since she'd been pinched, Lana jolted up and looked around her, disoriented and in pain. "_What_?" She glared at Lois, and then blinked when she saw how pale the brunette appeared to be. "Lois? What happened? Have you found the spell?"

"N-no..." Lois looked up at Lana finally, gulping. "But I found _this_."

Lana peered over at the page in the book Lois was glancing down at in horror.

It was a blank page, with only the words: Pendragon Crest written on it. But other than the slight red tint on parts of the paper, which looked more like paint having fallen on it, there was no crest whatsoever.

"You pinched me awake for _this_?" Lana grumbled, rubbing her eyes. "There's nothing there."

"No, you're not getting it!" Lois snapped, jabbing her finger into the page in question. "I got a glimpse of this page before when Chloe was browsing through the book! And it wasn't empty before! It had this wicked tribal looking dragon!" She continued to jab her finger into the page viciously. "But it's gone now! And there's blood here instead! And the blood's fresh! And the crest! It was the PENDRAGON crest for crissakes!" She brought her hands to her face and closed her eyes tightly. "Oh _fuck_!"

"Wait, _what_?" Lana was really starting to get scared. "I don't get it. What does one things have to do with the other? Why is it such a big deal that it was the Pendragon Crest? Do you know who the Pendragons are?"

"Have you been _listening_ to me this whole _while_?" Lois snapped, removing her hands from her face and slamming them, palms down, on the table on either side of the open book. "There's supposed to be two parallel universes, right? This book, which belongs to the mistress of one of those worlds, was supposedly written around the time of King Uther _Pendragon_! It was the _PENDAGON'S_ crest on this page! The page Chloe must have somehow cut her finger on and bled on! And now the crest is gone! And so is Chloe!"

Lana frowned, still not getting it.

"_CAMELOT_!" Lois nearly exploded, heart racing and blood pressure rising. "Chloe's in _Camelot_!"

Lana blinked, eyes widening. "You can't be serious."

"_Don't you get it_?" Lois grabbed at her head, trying to breathe, to calm herself, horrified and elated at being sure she was right. "Chloe's in _Camelot_. Around the time of King Uther." Her eyes widened...before narrowing, her voice lowering. "Around the time of Arthur..." She brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god."

"What?" Lana frowned, worried. "What is it?"

"What if...what if what we were assuming all along is wrong and that _that_ universe isn't the created one?" Lois whispered, beginning to tremble. "What if _this_ one is?"

"What?" Lana made up her face. "That's ridiculous."

"No, it _isn't_." Lois whispered, looking up at Lana, pale. "Think of it. There are two realms, one of them created by the witch Nimueh-or at least supervised by her. And Chloe-when she was younger she swore she was the princess Guinevere who had been kidnapped by an evil witch-and taken from Arthur."

Lana's eyes began to widen as she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god..."

Lois tried to breathe, but the room was getting uncomfortably warm. "She returned _home_. And _we're_ trapped. I'm her lady in waiting, Gertrude, and when Chloe was kidnapped I was with her so I would have been taken as well. It makes sense that I would be placed in this world as her cousin. I'd still be close to her, to keep her company and protect her..."

"Then that means that everyone in this world isn't who they think they are either." Lana was beginning to tremble as well, looking about to hyperventilate. "I'm not Lana Lang."

"And I'm not Lois Lane." Lois whispered.

The two brunettes looked up at each other in horror.

Suddenly the room began to spin, and the pages of the Grimoire began to turn rapidly on their own before opening up to a certain page that lit up with unholy light, the words, and runes, burning on the page.

"What's...happening?" Lana managed to cry before she suddenly went up in flames.

Lois opened her mouth to scream, but she'd already gone up in flames herself.

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"What is it?" Chloe looked around her at the commotion in the village.

"Knights from Camelot are on the way." Mordred looked around him, eyes wide in fear, just like the rest of the druids. Even though they weren't in Camelot, just the thought of the Knights of Camelot was enough to invoke terror in their hearts. "They're hiding their emblems and such, but we know Camelot Knights when we see them."

Chloe stood, frowning. "What direction are they coming from?"

She'd noticed that druids seemed to communicate through some sort of telepathy, as they always seemed to know everything that happened around them without having to utter a single word to each other.

Mordred pointed in a general direction.

Chloe took in a deep breath. She'd wanted to stay and wait for Lancelot, to travel together, but apparently Uther was very anxious to have her in Camelot once more. She couldn't understand _why_ the king was so obsessed with keeping her in Camelot, but she wasn't going to question him. "It's going to be alright, I'm going to meet them before they get to the village."

Mordred turned to look at her, eyes narrowed. "I thought you would wait for Lancelot?"

"I was." Chloe sighed. "When he comes back, tell him thank you for me and explain why I didn't wait? And thank everyone for their hospitality?"

He looked up at her silently, before nodding.

She smiled. "Thank you." And with that she took off in the direction Mordred had pointed, almost losing herself deep into the forest, only able to find her path once more because of the sound of rapid horses approaching. She slowed her pace, not wanting them to come upon her suddenly and trample over her in their haste. She was glad for the bright moonlight, because it glistened through the leaves and lit up the forest nicely, and she was sure they would be able to see her.

The blonde waited in the middle of the road, sure there was enough distance between her and the druid encampment...able to see the knights in the distance now. She wondered if she would recognize any of the knights that'd been sent her retrieve her.

As the riders drew closer, they went slower, seeing her figure in the middle of the road.

The rider in front was the only one hurrying, bringing his horse to a rearing stop a couple of feet away from her. Before she could try and make out who he was in the shadows, the rider descended his steed and closed the distance between her and him, drawing her into his arms.

"_Thank the gods you're safe_."

Chloe's eyes widened as she realized who this was. "_Arthur_?"

"I was so _worried_." He whispered, body trembling, testifying to the truth of those words as he pulled away and cupped her face, eyes surveying her worriedly. "I couldn't sleep-I-are you injured? Were you hurt? Do you need a physician?"

"_Arthur_?" She tried again, hands on his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" He frowned, looking back up to her face from where he'd been looking over her nearly desperate, making sure that she wasn't hurt or bleeding. "I led the search for you, of course I'd be here."

"Why?" She asked, confused. "You could have just sent the knights searching for me." She tilted her head to the side, confused. "Why did you come after me yourself?" She frowned. "Did King Uther not trust the knights to bring me back no matter what?"

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "I came after you because you were in danger and in need of saving." His grip tightened on her, though not painfully. "I came because you _needed_ me. It had _nothing _to do with my father."

Chloe's eyes widened in shock, seeing the truth so stark in his eyes.

He hadn't come back to drag her carcass back to Camelot...he'd come to..._save_ her.

The revelation shook her.

He truly _cared_.

"Did you...I understand that there is an encampment of druids somewhere in these woods." Arthur frowned, looking at her. "Have you seen them?"

"Why?" Chloe frowned right back at him. "You haven't had your quota of executions this week?"

His face flashed with hurt and annoyance. "_No_. I was wondering if you'd gone to them to ask them to send you back. This is Escetia, Chloe. The druids have nothing to fear of Camelot as long as they stay on this side of the boundary, but I can do nothing to help them if they venture across it."

She paused at that way of wording it, wondering for the first time what exactly Arthur's thoughts on his father's policies were.

She'd always just assumed, due to his attitude about the magic around her coming to Camelot, that he detested anything magic-related.

"I've seen the druids." She eyed him intensely, seeing in surprise the fear that flashed over his eyes. What did he have to be scared of? "And they told me that they can't send me back. They gave me the impression that just not anyone with magic can do it."

"Really?" Arthur looked..._relieved_.

Intensely relieved.

"That doesn't mean I'm coming back to Camelot though." Well, it did, but she was going to put her foot down from now since she had a slight advantage.

"_What_?" Arthur frowned. "You have a _home_ there. Why wouldn't you-?"

"I don't have a _home_ there, Arthur!" Chloe snapped at him. "I have a _prison_ there! I am forbidden to leave and there are guards always around-!"

"It's so that you don't try to go back to-."

"_What's so wrong_ with me wanting to go back?" Chloe wanted to know, throwing her hands in the air.

Arthur opened his mouth, closed it, opened it once more.

It was like he _really_ wanted to say something, but was keeping himself from doing so.

"Arthur, I won't be a prisoner. I _won't_." Chloe whispered. "If I'm stuck in this world, I won't be in a golden cage."

"Is that...is that how you've seen it?" Arthur finally asked, voice hurt, though slight understanding was dawning in his eyes.

"How else was I supposed to see it, Arthur?" She shook her head before looking back up at him. "I mightn't have been mistreated, and I was given anything I wanted, but I was a captive in the castle. You know that I'm telling the truth. I _hated_ it Arthur. I've been happier these last couple of days in the _forest_ then I have been in the castle." She gave a sad sigh. "What does that say to you?"

He looked even more hurt. "I-," he lowered his head and looked down. "I didn't see it that way. I apologize."

Her eyes widened. "You...apologize?"

He gulped, obviously not used to apologizing, and yet doing so anyway as he raised his gaze to look in her eyes as well. "It was never my intention to make you feel trapped and miserable, Chloe. If anything, my father and I want you to feel at peace in Camelot, and to consider it your home."

Well, _that_ was news.

Chloe wasn't exactly sure what to say or do now.

Words were cheap.

"Why do you want me in Camelot, Arthur? What does your father get out of having me there?" She asked, desperate to know the answer. "I don't understand it. If it's because you're suspicious that I'm a witch or something, then shouldn't you want me dead or out of Camelot? If it's because I've been in the castle and you don't want me telling others about what I've seen or heard-what good would it do if I did? What would I get out of it? I don't _understand_ Arthur. I've never understood." She felt the anger and confusion and frustration she'd been bottling up inside of her bubbling up as she grabbed onto his shirt. "You all detest everything magic, and yet I _obviously_ came here by magic. You expect me to forget all those I love and miss, you _forbid_ me from telling anyone, and you won't talk to me about it-you expect so much from me and _I don't know why_!"

He gazed down at her silently.

She gave a little cry and pounded her fists against his chest, hating how tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "I don't _understand_ anything!"

He reached out and softly wiped away at a tear. "I apologize."

"Don't _apologize_!" She gave another pound against his chest, voice cracking. "_Answer_ me!"

"I can't explain it to you, Chloe. I _want_ to, but understand that I _can't_." He looked stricken as he gazed away. "I wish with all my being that I could tell you, but I _can't_, and it fills me with the wrath of _hell_ because I can't."

"Why can't you?" She whispered, looking up at him.

His eyes were stormy and dark as they connected with her own. "Because it would _kill_ you."

And he was telling the truth.

Her eyes widened as she realized it.

Arthur _knew something_, and he wanted to tell her what it was, but for some reason he was convinced that if she knew she'd die...whether it be by magic or Uther's blade.

She licked her lips. "I won't go back to Camelot and be a prisoner." The grip she had on his shirt tightened. "I won't be your little captive again."

His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "Of course not. Come back with me, and things will change. You will have freedom of mobility, and you will come to love my kingdom. I promise you that if you come with me, things will change."

And she believed him.

His eyes didn't lie.

And yet it wasn't enough.

She looked away. "You're not king, Arthur. You can promise me all you want, but if your father doesn't feel the same, then no matter what _you_ say, things will go back to being the way they were before."

He was silent, before he let go of her and turned to the knights, who were still on their horses, watching the scene. "Bedivere."

"Yes Your Highness?" The knight asked.

"Ride swiftly to Camelot and inform my father that the lady Chloe refuses to return until you have delivered back an agreement with his seal upon it, in which he agrees to give her freedom to come and go as please, and the rights of any citizen of Camelot." Arthur replied. "Until she has the document in her hand, and is pleased with the terms, she will not cross Escetia's border with Camelot."

Chloe's eyes widened in shock.

Arthur was risking his father's wrath for her.

She knew that he could easily just throw her over the back of his horse and force her back, and to be truthful, given his usual attitude she'd been expecting him to do just that. Instead, he seemed to be a completely different person, and the fact that he was doing this so that she would go back of her own will...the lengths he was going to...the blonde just didn't know what to say or do. She felt-touched.

"We'll make our way slowly towards the border, but we shall not cross over until the agreement is in her hands." Arthur finished.

"Yes sire." Bedivere nodded, turning his horse around and racing away.

Arthur watched him go, before turning to Chloe, face serious. "I give you my word, as Prince and Heir, that things will change." He reached his hand towards her. "We will travel towards the border, but know that you will cross over of your own will. You are a free woman Chloe. I promise you this as Prince."

She gulped, looking at that hand, hesitating, before looking up at his face. "Promise me it as _Arthur_. Your title means nothing to me."

He was still, face completely blank, and then he smiled at her. "I give you my word as _Arthur_."

Giving him probably the first genuine smile since she'd known him, even if it was tiny, Chloe slowly put her hand in his.

"We should be leaving now." His fingers curled over hers as he led her towards his horse and gave her a boost before mounting behind her. "I doubt the druids would appreciate it if we made camp so close to theirs." One hand reached for the reigns, and the other went around her waist to help her keep balance. "Relax, I will not let you fall."

Biting her bottom lip, stiff, Chloe let out a loud breath and slowly relaxed into his chest as he turned the horse around.

The knights smiled softly at each other as they did the same thing, and as one they all began a leisurely pace.

As Chloe rested against Arthur, holding onto the mane of the horse for some type of anchor, she wondered why his heart was racing so rapidly in his chest.

"I...I've never been good on horseback. The few times I went riding I fell off...or nearly did. Clark and Lana preferred to keep me away from horses after the first couple of times they tried to teach me to ride." She whispered, before stopping, remembering how he hated it whenever she spoke of her life in the other world.

She flinched and looked away, waiting for his barbed comment.

There was silence, and then Arthur cleared his throat. "Obviously the problem lay in their teaching abilities." His tone was once more pompous, and yet not hissed or vicious as it usually was when she brought up the topic of her life in the other realm. "I will teach you myself once we arrive back home."

Her eyes widened at that, and she twisted as much as she could to look back at him. "You-you will?"

His eyes widened at that move, and he cleared his throat once more, gazing down at her. "Of course I will. I'm the best horseman in Camelot."

Her lips twitched at the return of his arrogance, and yet...yet somehow she didn't find it as loathsome as she once had. "Of course you are." Shaking her head, Chloe chuckled and turned back around.

They fell into silence after that.

But it was alright.

Somehow, Chloe knew that something had changed somehow, something shifted.

She wasn't sure exactly what her destiny truly was or how she'd accomplish it, but she knew, somehow, right then and there, it'd begun.

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**Ah, the end of this segment. Merlin should either appear in the next segment or the next, not sure which.**

**Review?**


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